147. Carl Milles 1875-1955 Celebration to the automobil. (d)
Signed Carl Milles. Foundry mark Herman Bergman Fud. Bronze, green patina. Height 96 cm.
- Department: Sculpture
- Auction: 12 June 2012, lot 147
- Viewing: 2 – 11 June 2012
Provenance
Sold at Bukowskis International Spring auction, 1996, auction no 500, cat.no 195.
Other
A version of "Celebration to the automobile" was commissioned by General Motors for the World' Fair in Chicago in 1933. That sculpture was executed in plaster and would presumably have been cast in bronze and eventually placed in General Motors's permanent collection. Instead of a car, the man in the sculpture was holding a connecting rod. In the news articles of that period, the sculpture went under the name of "Inspiration." Neither of the two ever received the bronze casting and the present lot is the only one of its kind known to exist today.